Setting aside what I consider to be the lunacy (and irony) of getting an unsportsmanlike penalty for removing your helmet before a fight when I consider it the gentlemanly thing to do, NJ and New York have figured out a way around it.

"If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility!" - Kierkegaard

I know the NHL have done this because they think it will reduce headaches which is all they care about, but if players CHOOSE to take their helmet and visors off so they dont mess up their hands safe in the knowledge so few concussions happen in fights, what's the point in penalising them?

I'd rather fight without a helmet and be able to use my hands afterwards.

Hilarious: Great way around the rule. How can you stop it? They are being gentlemanly about it and playing/fighting within the rules (as ridiculous as they are).

Cute: How awkward they are. It's like two teenagers figuring out where to put their hands for their first dance. They are both obviously aware of their roles and both trying to stay on the big team. They both don't want to hurt each other (by letting the other remove the helmet) but immediately start to try to hurt each other. This is both cute and honorable and one of the reasons I love hockey fights, the pageantry of two enforcers knowing they have to meet at some point and being classy about it. Some people hate the "set up" fights, but I think that the fans of each of the teams want to see it and are somewhat disappointed if they don't. The other reason being the pure hatred that is built up over a game/season/career that is only curable through fists. Those fights are usually better (Mac/Lemieux).

Worrisome: This isn't going to last long. I bet the first draft of the rule is already written. Probably 2 for delay of game, 5 for fighting, game-misconduct, and maybe a short suspension/small fine.

Depressing: That it's come to this. So many recent, stupid rules (instigator, jersey tuck, glove tuck, goalie pads, puck over glass, trapezoid, spin-o-rama, stick curve, GOALIE INTERFERENCE OR NOT!?!?, and the dumbest: OTL). It's killed the game and made it so complicated that causal and new watchers are so confused that they won't attempt to watch it. If I were to talk to one of my co-workers who I know are into sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) and ask them what they know about hockey, 90% would mention "allowed to fight" in their answer. If I ask them why they don't watch it at least half would say "confusing/rules are weird."

That's great haha. I wonder if this trend picks up quickly and what the NHL is going to try and do about it.

That loophole is going to close as fast as the "Team A trades player to Team B, Team B does buyout, Team A resigns player at lower cap hit" loophole that the NHL warned teams not to do this past summer. I can already hear Bettman (or Daly) now... "Something, something, rule circumvention. Something something still a minor penalty."

That loophole is going to close as fast as the "Team A trades player to Team B, Team B does buyout, Team A resigns player at lower cap hit" loophole that the NHL warned teams not to do this past summer. I can already hear Bettman (or Daly) now... "Something, something, rule circumvention. Something something still a minor penalty."

Bettman to hold a press conference tomorrow at 10...

*tomorrow at 10*

It has come to our attention that certain players have tried to circumvent the new rules the NHL has put in place to protect the players. Those players will be dealt with accordingly, as they both have suspension hearings resulting in 20+ games possibly. The NHL BOG and the NHLPA worked hand in hand to create these new rules, and any attempt to circumvent them by any player will result in a suspension, and your balls cut off, and auctioned off to help pay the fine you will also be receiving, also sold with yellow melted ice, available at the NHL.com store. We feel it is in the players best interest to keep their jerseys untucked during a game, and there helmets on during a fight, if they break there hand so be it. If there helmet so much as falls off during the fight, accidentally or not, suspension, jersey gets pulled up and sits partially over the equipment, double minor. The NHL is doing everything they can to keep the game as exciting yet safe as possible. Any questions?

- No I wasn't dropped on my head as a kid to the best of my knowledge

- Yes I was always short

- No we are not going to lower the cost of anything NHL related, in fact we just agreed to raise the prices %10

Yes, it is possible to hurt one's head during a fight (see: Lilja, Andreas) but not as likely as getting hurt by hitting a guy with a helmet.

This right there. I dont have any stats to back anything up but just going on memory Id think its fair to say there were more man games lost due to hand injuries punching visors and helmets than injuries from falling in a fight.

Helmets (especially with visors) need to come off during fights. This is why the league should be run (and the rules set) by people who have actually played the game and not by lawyers.

Yes, it is possible to hurt one's head during a fight (see: Lilja, Andreas) but not as likely as getting hurt by hitting a guy with a helmet.

Kudos to these two for doing this and showing the league how dumb and out-of-touch with player needs rules like this are.

Amen.

"If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility!" - Kierkegaard

This right there. I dont have any stats to back anything up but just going on memory Id think its fair to say there were more man games lost due to hand injuries punching visors and helmets than injuries from falling in a fight.

I don't even think you need stats (maybe for the man games lost.... and 'man games' also sounds like something really cool, like MAN GAMES 2014! and just being awesome). Do the league not see that they say "Helmets need to stay on. These are an essential piece of equipment, that is designed to protect the head from heavy blows when hitting the boards, the ice, or an errant puck. They must also be kept on during fights, because if they're solid enough to deflect vulcanised rubber or solid ice (which is effectively like concrete), think of what they're doing to peoples' hands... which you know... they kind of need to play this sport."

This league is tun by a bunch of overpaid idiots, who have no clue about the game, it's code integrity or honor.
I applaud both these guys for showing the league who stupid their rules are. This stupid midget doesn't even know, that helmets are causing more injuries than punches between enforcers. So all the damn lawyers should take a backseat and let the enforcers do their job, I'd rather have the owners paying 8 million for a guy like Barch or Gallant instead of wasting it on an undersized midget.
hope, all enforcers are going to do it so the league can f...itself

Just had a brainwave... yes helmets cause more injuries in fights than the fists that inevitably get injured, however what would happen if the league came out and said "helmets are worse for fighting related injuries than punches"? Imagine if Easton heard that and went, "I'm sorry, what?" Kiss that chunk of advertising revenue goodbye.